Laughing, Ris replies, "Okay, I will take Friday off and come wrangle some men with my magical poon!"
We burst out in laughter as we continue to refer to her vagina as the Great Bambino. Its charm has sucked in many men. We chat a little more about what she should bring with her. What skanky outfits and suits she should pack to make sure she reels Jason in on the first day. I tell her she could do that wearing a burlap potato sack.
She talks a little about work and how everyone misses me and what projects are taking place right now and what gossip has struck the office. I miss not being there and having the assignments to occupy my time. She assures me that everything is under control, and I will be back before I know it, complaining about our co-worker's annoying habits.
"I'm going to pack my slutty ass thong bikini," she belts out.
We both burst out laughing, call each other derogatory names like "skank" and "whore” then say, "I love you" as we end our call. I cannot wait to see her this weekend; it's going to be a blast, whether Luke is there or not.
Chapter Fourteen
I am awoken abruptly by a knock at the door. Who'd be waking me up so early? I rush downstairs to see who is knocking this early in the morning. I open the front door.
"Good Morning, Ali," Gladys says with a smile.
"Good Morning! Come in," I say while half asleep.
"Is something wrong?" I ask, not remembering if we made plans to do something today or not.
"No, nothing is wrong. Well, not entirely. It slipped my mind yesterday when we were together to mention this to you and when I remembered, it was too late to call," Gladys says with a little worry in her voice.
A little concerned now, I reply, "What's going on?"
"Your dad's secretary, Maureen, is retiring in a few weeks, and I need your help in hiring a new secretary," she continues.
Maureen is the backbone of my father's shop; she keeps it running day-to-day. She does everything from answering phones, scheduling appointments, invoicing, payroll, paying bills, etc. Maureen has been my dad's secretary since he opened the shop almost thirty years ago. She was kind of his right-hand woman as she took care of all clerical matters.
Gladys reminds me that she did some work with Maureen a few years back when she had shoulder surgery, and I would cover for her when she'd occasionally go on vacation. Maureen has a lot to teach Gladys and me before she leaves, given that we are unable to find a replacement right away. Gladys used to work at the hospital a few towns over but retired last year.
"I am on my way to the shop now; would you like me to wait for you, or do you want to drive yourself?" Gladys asks as she walks back towards the door.
"I need to get changed and stuff. I will meet you at the shop," I mutter.
She turns to open the door, "I will see you when you get there then. See you soon!"
Gladys smiles and gives a wave before leaving to head to my father's shop. I need to shower and look halfway decent since I will see Luke there. I rush back up the stairs to take a quick shower and get myself somewhat presentable.
Freaking out, as I cannot find anything that I want to wear, I fling myself into the back of my closet. Sliding shirt upon shirt across the clothing rack, I come upon a shirt much like the ones I saw the guys wear at my father's funeral. Although it did not have the new logo for the shop on the back, it was still one of his shop shirts. My name is sewn neatly in white on the front. I slip it on over my black tank top then grab a pair of my ripped jeans.
I head into the bathroom to blow dry my hair and put it in a ponytail. I throw on some quick makeup; shadow, liner, and mascara before heading down to the kitchen. I open the cereal cabinet, knowing I don't have time to sit and eat a bowl of cereal right now. I grab a cereal bar, put my boots on, and walk out the door.
I jump into my car, forgetting my purse, so I take off back into the house. I knew I had forgotten something in the excitement of seeing Luke again.
ON MY WAY TO THE shop, I don't pay much attention to the beautiful morning scenery because I am in a hurry. I make a quick stop at the gas station and grab myself milk and bottled water.
I pull into my dad's shop and drive around back to where the employees' park. I can feel my nerves start to go when I see Luke's truck. I am excited to see him but freaking out at the same time. I throw the milk and cereal bar into my purse before I get out of my vehicle.
I walk up to the back of the shop. It's a gorgeous summer morning; all the doors are open. I walk into the shop and make my way back to the offices. I skim the shop looking for Luke, Jason, Ernie- anyone, but no one is around. I get back to the offices and notice that all the guys have crowded around in the breakroom.
Before the guys start to walk out, I dip into the office where Gladys and Maureen are.
"Ali!" Maureen shouts.
She gets up from her desk and rushes over to hug me.
"Hi, Maureen! Congratulations on your soon-to-be retirement," I murmur.
"Thank you. I know it's not the best time to be leaving but your father."
She sighs.
"But your father and I had my retirement planned for months before he had his accident," she says sympathetically.
Feeling awful for her, as she appears to cry, I assure her that we understand and
